Disclaimers: Nope… Still not mine. Thanks to the Harry Potter goddess (JKR) for allowing me to play in her universe even if only for a short while!
When Living is No Longer Enough…
Chapter Five
Severus muttered the spells that would disengage the wards placed around his chambers and wearily entered the rooms. Removing his notorious black school robes, he tossed them on the couch and sank into the old, worn leather chair that sat off to one side of the fireplace. "Incendio" he said and with a flick of his wand brought to life an array of flames to warm the cold room. Leaning back he glanced over to the cabinet that held an array of various liquors and tiredly shook his head. "Accio" he murmured, summoning a half-empty bottle of Ogden's Fire Whisky, watching as it glided across the room to rest in his hand. Not caring enough to be bothered with the niceties of summoning a glass, he uncorked the bottle, drew a long deep swig, and stared at the remaining contents as they swirled against the sides of the glass before finally settling. Although the bottle was made from dark emerald green colored glass, he could still make out the motion of the amber liquid as it swished from side to side in a circular pattern. 'Just like me' he thought bitterly, closing his eyes and allowing his thoughts to drift. 'Surrounded by darkness while my attempts to break free of my confines lead me in one big never-ending circle.'
His conversation with Miss Saunton had not gone well and he was beginning to believe she might actually comply with her father's wishes and join with him in serving Voldemort.
"Damn it all to Hell!" he exclaimed as he took another long mouthful of the throat numbing liquor. "She's no more than a child. They are all merely children with no concept of what such a decision will do to them. No concept of how it will enslave them to Voldemort's perversity, as they become nothing more than playthings to be used and discarded on a whim. No concept of how their actions will eat away at them night after night, robbing them of their humanity and deforming their very souls."
Suddenly he heard a 'pop' in the fireplace and looked over to see the head of Albus Dumbledore calling to him from the flames.
"Severus, may I come over for a few minutes?" the old wizard questioned.
"As if my saying 'no' would stop you,' he replied scathingly. "Oh fine, but be warned that my mood is something less than congenial this evening."
Seconds later, the Headmaster stepped out of the fireplace and brushed the clinging soot and ashes from the shoulders of his heavily embroidered robes. "I consider myself warned," he said with a smile. Moving Severus' robes aside, he turned to sit and make himself comfortable on the overstuffed couch.
"I understand that you had a visit from Miss Saunton this evening," he mentioned casually. "How is she doing?"
"Not well Albus," Snape said with a sigh. Summoning two glasses, he poured himself and the Headmaster a drink and recounted Emily's visit to the dungeons earlier that evening.
"She received an owl from her father this afternoon informing her that she will be returning home over the Easter holidays where she will personally meet with Voldemort and pledge her loyalty to the dark," he said summarizing his earlier meeting with the young girl. "Needless to say, the girl is beside herself with worry, not to mention scared to death to go against her father's wishes. I fear that we may very well lose her Albus and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."
"Patience my friend," the wizard said quietly. "All is not yet lost and while she does not wear the dark mark, there is always hope."
"Hope?" Severus snarled as his fingers tightened on the glass with nearly enough force to shatter it. "Hope alone will not save these children or the rest of us for that matter and it will certainly not win this war. And as for patience… suffice it to say that it is a virtue best left far away from the cold realities of this conflict. I may not be able to obtain information directly any longer but I can guarantee that Voldemort is not stocking his arsenal with such useless weapons as hope and patience."
The headmaster listened quietly to the young man as he sputtered through his tirade. The more he listened, the more anxious he become in regards to his friend's current frame of mind. Albus had known that being confined solely to Hogwarts grounds would likely cause the young wizard to become restless. However, the bitterness and caustic words had become more pronounced and more frequent over the last several weeks and while most people would have written these signs off as part of the younger wizard's unpleasant persona, Dumbledore knew better. He had known Severus for many years. He had watched his quiet and aloof mannerisms during his student days and he had seen the desperate young man who had given up on himself the night he turned from Voldemort's side. A man who held no value whatsoever for his own worth and felt that nothing short of death would serve as penance for the dark acts he had committed during his younger days. It was that very man that seemed to be slowly re-emerging in the potions master that Albus now called 'friend'. It was that man that Albus had hoped to never lay eyes on again, fearing that he might one day succeed in overtaking the person that Severus had since become.
"Ah Severus, you underestimate the importance of these 'weapons' for without them, we would not have the will to drive forward when times look bleak," he replied softly.
"Hmmf" Snape snorted as he emptied the remaining contents of the whisky bottle into his glass.
"We still have three months remaining before Miss Saunton returns home with her decision and may yet come up with an acceptable plan that will keep her from Voldemort's clutches," the Headmaster insisted. "In the meantime, I have come to speak to you about taking on a special assignment."
Snape eyed the older man skeptically. "What type of 'assignment' did you have in mind Albus?"
"We have been receiving reports that Voldemort is getting ready to make a very large move to accelerate the war but have been unable to confirm anything thus far. Meanwhile, he grows bolder by the month. Murders of muggles and muggle born witches and wizards have risen dramatically and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Ministry to predict Death Eater attacks so that they may send Aurors to intervene in time. I fear that you are correct in your assertion that we must take more direct action and so I find myself asking you to lend your assistance, once again, in an area in which your talents are most desperately needed," Albus said watching the young man's face carefully for clues to his current thoughts and emotions.
"What type of help do you require Albus?" the professor asked stonily.
"I want you to devise and brew a potion Severus. A poison, to be exact, that will destroy Voldemort or at least weaken him enough so that we may plan a direct assault of our own. Something that will aid us in gaining an advantage that we might make use of," Dumbledore replied.
"What you ask of me is near impossible," Snape said spreading his hands in front of him, palms facing upward, in a gesture of defeat. "Voldemort has not only invoked ancient magic but he has cast so many dark spells and ingested so many different potions that he is as near to being immortal as he can possibly get without actually being so. Not to mention the fact that he trusts no one so the chances of getting the potion to him are next to impossible and highly improbable at best. I may have once stood a chance of delivering such a concoction, assuming such a thing actually exists, but no longer."
"Nevertheless, we must try," Albus insisted.
Snape leaned forward and momentarily studied his friend. There was something different about the older man this evening, a sort of intensity in his voice combined with a steely look of determination in his eyes that contrasted to his customary soft tones and facial expressions. "Something has happened hasn't it?" he stated flatly, his obsidian eyes narrowing as he took in Dumbledore's stiff countenance. "Tell me."
The headmaster dropped his gaze and momentarily closed his eyes, as if by doing so, he could erase the events of the evening and set things to right. "Harry Potter's relatives were attacked earlier this evening Severus. The ministry sent two Aurors to the house as soon as the alarms sounded notifying them that the wards around the area had been disturbed but it was too late."
"The condition of Potter's relatives?" Snape questioned, instinctively knowing the answer.
"Dead. All three of them were hit with Avada Kavadra. The Aurors managed to arrive before the Death Eaters could leave the premises and a fight ensued. There were casualties on both sides," the headmaster related softly, a tear trailing down his weathered cheek.
"Who?" he asked quietly knowing that it must be someone close to the headmaster when he saw the lone tear fall slowly down the older man's face.
"Draco Malfoy was killed by one of the Aurors. A Prior Incantati of his wand proved that he was responsible for casting the killing curse at least twice," Dumbledore answered quietly, his voice filled with sadness.
"You said casualties Albus. I am assuming that there were others?" Severus questioned, deducing from the pained look on the headmaster's face that the answer would not be pleasant.
"Yes. The other two Death Eaters managed to escape but not before wounding one of the Aurors and killing the other," Dumbledore confirmed.
"The identity of the injured Auror?" Snape queried.
"Neville Longbottom was hit with several minor curses. He is currently at St. Mungo's and is expected to make a full recovery within the next few days."
"And the other Auror?" the professor whispered hesitantly, growing more fearful of the answer as the stream of tears now fell freely down the old man's face.
"Ginny Weasley," the older wizard whispered in despair.
"Potter's fiancée?" Severus asked gasping in horror.
"Yes."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
Author's Note: Wow! I can't believe the reviews that this story has garnered thus far. You all have been wonderful and I only hope that the rest of the story plays out to your expectations. I've had some people ask if I will be sticking to the challenge rules by making Snape suicidal and my plan is to do so although I am hoping to write in some unexpected twists to add interest to the storyline. This is truly a challenge for me as I have always viewed Snape as a strong character and I still hope to stay true to that perception. However, the poor guy is going to have to deal with some angst first! Until next chapter…
~Jules